Like a Lily
by Oliviax3
Summary: Wanda has morning breath. Melanie has all-the-time breath. Love smells.--I/W and J/M-- FLUFF. beware. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!


Disclaimer: I do not own The Host, not even a copy of the book (gasp)!!

Wanda has morning breath. Melanie has all-the-time breath. Love smells.--I/W and J/M fluff--

So no, this is not too deep. But I inserted some tidbits of depth. FIND THEM.** HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. **

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**Like a Lily**

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_Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived. –Helen Keller_

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It was early morning when she awoke, silver eyes veiled behind tired eyelids that ached to close. The lacking warmth from Ian's body kept her awake. Yawning, she shifted onto her other side to face a sleeping Melanie. Her eyes widened and she remembered exactly _why_ she was in Melanie's bed.

Ian and Jared had gone on a raid without them, after many of Melanie's and Wanda's vehement complaints, of course, and yet despite their heated protests, they went without them anyways. Left to themselves, they plotted late into the night of ways to get back at them.

"We can hide when they come back," Wanda suggested, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she grabbed another cheeto from the stash that Melanie had confiscated for their scheming purposes. Plans made them hungry.

"No… we should—give them the silent treatment!" Melanie smiled, baring white teeth speckled with orange bits. Wanda looked at her skeptically and Melanie sighed, "You're right, that would fail ..._epically_."

A few hours later, all of their plans crashed like they did on Melanie's—and Jared's bed. The thought robbed her of a few moments sleep before exhaustion claimed her, crunching the cheetos beneath her as she rolled tirelessly.

There was an odd sound that quickly reminded her where she was, causing her to drift from her memory of the previous night. The sound was coming from Melanie.

Shyly, she looked over to the sleeping girl beside her. Melanie made the sound again causing Wanda to jump slightly, smashing their midnight snack. Suddenly, Wanda realized just what that sound was and she giggled.

Melanie was snoring, _loudly_.

Wanda attempted to suffocate her laughs with a pillow, but Melanie seemed to feel the vibrations from Wanda's body and her sleep ended abruptly like her snores.

_"What?!"_ she croaked, opening one eye to peer at the annoyance that had awakened her from her rest.

Wanda giggled again, "I didn't know you snored!"

Rolling her eyes, Melanie groaned and turned around. No longer facing her, she yanked the blankets and wrapped them around her vigorously, trying to resume the dream that Wanda had so _rudely_ interrupted… She began to snore in less than a minute.

Counting the seconds, Wanda held her breath until she burst into spits of laughter.

Melanie scowled although no one could receive her cold glare. "_Please_ be quiet, Wanda, you're the one who has morning breath…"

After a few moments of confusion, Wanda grasped that Melanie had just insulted her. "Morning breath?"

Melanie rolled roughly to face her, bringing along her glare. "_Morning_. _Breath_. It's when your breath stinks in the morning, sorry to break it to you."

"But you didn't even smell my breath!"

"It stinks so bad that I smell it from here!"

"Well"—she paused and pointed at Melanie's nose—"_you_ have all-the-time breath! I bet it's from those cheetos you eat _all the time_!"

Melanie laughed as she smashed one of those orange, crunchy, (delicious) sticks, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Before Wanda had a chance to laugh as well, she heard noises from another part of the caves.

"Did you hear that?"

"No." Melanie sniffed a cheeto and Wanda groaned at her indifference to the unmistakable noises.

"I think they're back!"

Suddenly, Melanie threw back the covers, "Already?"

They ran through the empty caves with nothing but T-shirts on. It didn't faze them though, and all of their previous plans of the silent treatments they were supposed to give were forgotten.

"They said it would be a couple," Wanda inhaled, "of days… at least." She panted as she tried to keep up with Melanie's sprint.

"I know!" She exclaimed, looking back at her.

When they reached the opening of the caves, Jared, Ian and Kyle were laughing loudly, unloading the few items of food they had raided. It wasn't much of a raid, she observed and after a few moments of watching, Wanda noticed that Melanie disappeared, but could not think more of it because Ian was caught her eye and began to approach her.

She blushed lightly as he lifted her into the air, his arms tight against her waist. He leaned in to kiss her, but she hesitantly postponed it.

Maybe until mid-afternoon…

"Why did you leave if you were coming back so quickly?" She asked curiously, aware that she was breathing on his face.

He shrugged and she went up and down with the movement of his shoulders, "I had to get something."

"Oh."

He heard the sadness in her voice. "Okay, you caught me." She looked up at him with a confused frown after seeing the way he lifted his hands as if he surrendered, but they suddenly wrapped around her waist as they pulled her closer to him, the empty line of air between them now filled with their touching bodies. He kissed her instead of explaining.

He hated it when she frowned, especially because of him.

Although the kiss was persuading, she pulled away quickly and Ian gave her his own perplexed look, the one where his eyes squinted, his brow creased and the corners of his mouth pulled downwards. He looked both worried and confused.

"I-I have morning breath," she whispered, embarrassed, but it did sound reasonable, after all, Pet's body was new and who knew what her dental record was like...

Ian's features softened almost instantly as he laughed out loud. Wanda blushed a deeper shade of red before he kissed her again and she could do nothing but melt into it.

"It doesn't ... taste bad?"

He chuckled warmly and stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "No, you always taste good."

Wanda smiled timidly, "Even in the morning?"

"_All_ the time."

"What if I were in Mel's body would I--"

He rolled his eyes jokingly. "Do I have to repeat myself, Wanda?"

"Yes." She wanted proof, though he hesitated for the briefest of moments. She shifted her weight from her right foot to her left in unease. "Please."

He smiled subtly and whispered into her ear, only for her to hear, "Wanderer, you taste positively delicious at all hours of the day, how's that?"

Another blush flew across her face in a rose hued color. He leaned down to capture her lips with his (he loved it when she blushed) but she backed away again.

"What now? Do _I_ have morning breath?"

"No," she laughed. "So why did you leave again?"

"I wanted to get you something."

Wanda seemed to glow, "Really? What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

"…A… surprise…"

Thoughts raced through her mind. What if Ian was lying? What if she really _did_ taste bad in the mornings? And what if the "present" Ian had gotten her was really a box of breath mints? What if, God forbid, it was a _toothbrush_?

Wanda burned at the prospect. "What did you get me, Ian?" She tried to sound curious, but even she heard the serious undertone.

He chuckled again, "I can't tell you until later."

_Mid- afternoon_… she guessed, crossing her arms.

"Wanda?"

Suddenly, a silent treatment didn't sound so bad.

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**Around Mid Afternoon**

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"...Mel..."

In the process of changing, she glanced over at him and stopped abruptly as she realized that she had forgotten to clean up.

"Why are there cheetos between the sheets?"

"Can't a girl be hungry?" She asked, reaching for the shirt that was close by, but Jared caught her by the waist and rotated her in his arms.

He smiled down at her, deviously. "I didn't know you missed me so much, Mel." Her name slurred on his lustful lips that looked inviting, but she punched him playfully in the chest instead.

"Don't flatter yourself, Jared." She couldn't help but smile too.

"You know…" He looked back at the bed, and then to her. She lifted her brow before he continued, leaning in dangerously close, "I could satisfy your hunger…"

She leaned forwards, brushing her lips across his, teasing him. "You could," she agreed and he smiled again, "but I'm tired." His smile disappeared and was replaced with a disapproved frown.

They made their way to the cot and he hovered over her as she scowled, upset that he could have such an affect on her. She seemed alert now, eyes blown open.

"Still tired?"

She clenched at the material of his shirt and forced him downwards so he was mere millimeters away from her tempting mouth.

"No." Her stomach betrayed her at that moment, grumbling discreetly.

His lips curved. "Hungry?"

"No," she purred, "_starving_."

* * *

Hours had gone by and Wanda still hadn't given in. She was proud of herself, even through Ian's many tempting pleas, she was able to pull through, signifying that she would give in when he told her the 'surprise'.

He didn't.

They found themselves at the large table in the kitchen (minus Mel and Jared) while Wanda ate feverishly.

"Did you eat when I was gone?"

She opened her mouth, still full with food, to speak when someone interrupted.

"Wanda, you smell like cheetos."

"HA!" she pointed a finger at Ian, "So I _DO_ smell?"

She was louder than she thought she was, causing more eyes than she could count to turn to look at her. It was Jamie who had said the part about the smelling bit... not Ian who was smiling from ear to ear with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

As if no one was looking he dipped his head into the crevice of her neck and inhaled. The fine hairs on her skin stood on end and everyone had looked away by this point, except Jamie who was oblivious to it all.

"She smells like cheetos, huh, Ian?"

Ian only looked at Wanda. "Yeah, she smells good." And with that, he took her hand, leading her away from the empty plate of food she had devoured and into one of the many caves.

"Hey! Where are you guys going?" Jamie called after them.

There was no answer from them and Jamie looked back down at his plate and stabbed a forlorn vegetable. It was a weird morning today. Very, very weird.

He was excited to be back, even after the short trip out, but no one really welcomed him. Mel pounced on Jared and he took her someplace, then Ian saw Wanda then became hypnotized or whatever and left him. So he was left alone, sulking with no one to tell his amazing tale of the oh-so-exciting raid that obviously wasn't too exciting to everyone else because they all freaking scattered!

Quietly, very, very quietly, Jamie murmured to his food, "Love stinks."

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"Do you want to know what the surprise is?"

She groaned with impatience, "Yes."

"Close your eyes," he said, "and hold out your hands."

She did so and felt cold, cool stems in her palm. Opening her eyes, she saw the flowers in her hands. Her smile was beautifully wistful.

"I would have gotten you roses, but--"

"They don't smell as wonderful, right?"

His eyes shone so brightly that her breath hitched in her throat. He held her face in his hands and said, "Never as wonderful."

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AHHHHHHHH!! **FLUUUFFF**!! watch out, it might attack you from behind. BAM. That is you, on the floor from the gushyness that penetrated your skull. I apologize. Truely. But if you happen to have survived from the spiky sparkles then I hope that you can leave me a review! and if you haven't noticed by now, I kind of love quotes so sorry if i try to stuff too many into one piece... I just have this obsession. lol.

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_The best smell in the world is the smell of the person you love.  
_


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